INTERVIEW: A Digital Pint with… Celya AB, throwing her ‘Second Rodeo’ at EdFringe 2023

After winning Chortle’s Best Newcomer 2022 Award, Celya AB returns to EdFringe next month with a brand new comedy hour all about her childhood expectations of being an adult, and how those have all matched up, or… not quite. Celya promises us tales of romance, a hologram, and a near-death experience in Thorpe Park. We wanted to get to know the deets behind her EdFringe return, working with Mike Wozniak, and how it all links back to ABBA Voyage and being mistaken for a Dolly Parton Tribute Act.

Catch Celya AB: Second Rodeo at Pleasance Courtyard (Beside), Aug 2-14 & 16-27 (19:30). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Box Office.

Jake: Hi Celya! Your show is all about reconnecting with your playful inner child. Tell us a little about exploring your relationship with childhood and adulthood.

Celya: HI JAKE!

I was chatting to a friend last year and her recollection of her childhood was incredible and so vivid and detailed and when she asked me about mine I sort of blanked and just remembered small bits and pieces. I then read about the bilingual brain and how speaking another language can change the recollection of memories and turns out: that’s a great tool for very silly jokes.

I also realised there was a disconnect between the kind of jokes I wrote online or for other people and the ones I did on stage. This year I wanted to be a bit looser, sillier and closer to what I’m like off stage.

Jake: Can you tell us a little bit about the process of unlocking humour from your inner child? How did it all work out, and how was Taskmaster’s Mike Wozniak involved?

Celya: I met Mike properly last year when we worked on a mixed bill tour together and, like absolutely everyone, thought he was great. In January I saw his show Suza, a brilliantly crafted hour with lovely original short jokes thrown in. I hadn’t seen that many shows and didn’t know we were allowed to be so silly without being obviously a clown or a sketch act. It made me really excited about stand-up. We started working together on this show and it’s been really great.

Jake: The show tells tales of teenage romance, a near-death experience in Thorpe Park, and ‘comedy’s answer to ABBA Voyage’… Whew! That’s a lot to fit into one hour. What are you hoping the audience will take away from it all?

Celya: You know what Jake? This is what happens when you have to submit a blurb months before the show is ready. I can confirm that almost all of these things are covered in the show. As for what they can take away from the show: Absolutely nothing but jokes they think about later on. Also the meaning of life. It’s my favourite thing I’ve ever made and I hope people like it.

Jake: Tell us about your relationship with Edinburgh and the Fringe – have you been before and how are you feeling about it all now we are a month away?

Celya: I’ve been coming to the fringe in some capacity since 2018. The cost is a huge problem obviously, but focusing on the idea of it: I love taking a show and getting better at comedy during the month. Since I’ve started doing comedy I’ve always loved the idea of taking shows every year and getting sharper and better and I just hope I get to do that for the next few years as it’s a brilliant training ground. Even when looking back at a split hour I did in 2019 that must’ve won the record for most cancelled shows due to no audience. Ever had to turn people away at the door Jake? Because they thought you were a Dolly Parton tribute act? And then cancelled the show as no one else turned up?

Jake: Thankfully no! Well done for making it back here for another round after that experience!

Jake: Given the themes of Binge Fringe, if your show was a beverage of any kind (alcoholic, non-alcoholic – be as creative as you like!), what would it be and why?

Celya: “Is Pepsi alright?”

Tickets are available through the EdFringe Box Office.

Photo Credit: Rachel Sherlock